Mac Mini Now Starts at $1,099 After Apple Pulls 256GB Model
The base configuration of the M4 Mac Mini now supports only 16GB of RAM and 512GB of memory.
Time Machine Local Backups Changing in macOS 27, Says Apple
A screenshot from macOS Tahoe beta shared by @StellaFudge suggests Apple is preparing to change how legacy products will support local Time Machine backups in the next major version of macOS (via MacRumors).
According to the screenshot, Time Machine will no longer support AirPort Disks or Time Capsule drives — and language around local snapshots and backups is missing or flagged for removal. If true, this would mark the end of local Time Machine backups, a feature Mac users have relied on for years to store data directly on external drives without the cloud.
Time Capsule is a legacy Apple device combining a Wi-Fi router and hard drive, designed for seamless wireless backups using Time Machine, macOS’s built-in backup software. Time Machine automatically creates incremental backups of your Mac to a Time Capsule or external drive, allowing easy restoration of files or entire systems. Both AirPort Disks and Time Capsule do not support USB-C, limiting transfer speeds.
The screenshot reads, “Disk Not Recommended for Backups” and says, “The next major version of macOS will no longer support AirPort Disk, or other Time Capsule disks, for Time Machine backups.”
The move could push more users toward iCloud backups—which require a paid subscription. This would be a shift that prioritizes subscription revenue over user flexibility.
So far, there’s no word on whether alternative local backup options will be supported beyond macOS Tahoe, or if this is part of a broader push toward cloud-only storage. Apple has said that macOS Tahoe will be the final version to support Intel Macs.
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This article is incorrect. It says it’s the end of Time Machine backups but that not what’s happening. It’s the end of Time CAPSULE backups. Local Time Machine backups are not going anywhere (a disk plugged directly into your Mac).
Sorry Gary but I think you have really misunderstood this issue. Time Machine backups to Time Capsules (the discontinued Apple router) and Airport disks (hard drives plugged into Airport routers) are not local backups. They are network backups. Local backups are backups to disks connected directly to the computer (via USB C, Thunderbolt etc). Nowhere to my knowledge (or in any of the sources cited here) has Apple said or made any indication that backups to local disks will be discontinued. It sounds like you may perhaps be conflating Time Capsule disks and AirPort disks with local disks (such as external drives).
To elaborate a bit, Apple will be discontinuing AFP support in a future OS version which time capsule, drives connected to airport, and some other network drives rely on for time machine support. Other protocols like SMB are supported. Some NAS devices have to disable time machine support (which will use AFP by default) in the settings in order to force a different protocol that is supported going forward when creating a time machine backup. For example my NAS drive is a cheap TerraMaster TNAS and if I enable time machine support it will natively use AFP. If I disable that setting, then AFP will not be used.
To elaborate a bit, Apple will be discontinuing AFP support in a future OS version which time capsule, drives connected to airport, and some other network drives rely on for time machine support. Other protocols like SMB are supported. Some NAS devices have to disable time machine support (which will use AFP by default) in the settings in order to force a different protocol that is supported going forward when creating a time machine backup. For example my NAS drive is a cheap TerraMaster TNAS and if I enable time machine support it will natively use AFP. If I disable that setting, then AFP will not be used.